Reading Time: 2 minutes Emotions are processed in the mind, in our brains, but they also occur throughout our bodies as well. Strong emotional reactions often manifest in physical ways: a red face, angry gestures andRead More…

Reading Time: 1 minute My first mediation with First Nations occurred in the early 1990s. It took place at a school gymnasium in a small community on the edge of Wood Buffalo National Park. Virtually theRead More…

Reading Time: 1 minute The role of a mediator is often misunderstood by counsel and the parties. This can result in fuzzy or muddled expectations, and ultimately a failed process. Over time this lack of clarityRead More…

Reading Time: 2 minutes We negotiate with ourselves and with others every day of our lives. For the most part these negotiations are not high conflict and emotionally charged, but they certainly can be. When someone’s actionsRead More…

Reading Time: 2 minutes Back in June of 2002, G8 meetings set to commence in Calgary were jeopardized when security arrangements ran up against lobbying taxi drivers, outraged over proposed changes to taxi licencing. The driversRead More…

Reading Time: 1 minute 1) Know that all conflict exists in our stories of the past about what happened to us and what we made it mean. To drag these stories into the present moment onlyRead More…

Reading Time: 5 minutes The role of a mediator is often misunderstood. Similarly, the roles of counsel, parties and other advisors may be unclear. Too often mediation is viewed as something that is being done toRead More…

Reading Time: 5 minutes “Breath on a mirror. If it fogs over, you have conflict.” This phrase signifies an undeniable fact of life: that conflict is inevitable. As with any challenge, it is useful to considerRead More…

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Sufi Poet Rumi once said: “Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” Conflicts can be said to begin in our storiesRead More…